Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon's drama Me & Earl & The Dying Girl took home the top accolades at the 31st Sundance Film Festival awards, winning both the U. S. Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award in Utah on Saturday (31Jan15). The emotional movie, which is based on Jesse Andrews' 2013 novel of the same name, tells the tale of two student filmmakers who become friends with a young cancer patient.
The winner of the U.S. Grand Jury Prize for a documentary was filmmaker Crystal Moselle's The Wolfpack, which follows six brothers who are isolated from the outside world.
The awards mark the end of the annual Robert Redford founded festival, which closes on Sunday (01Feb15).
The full list of winners is:
U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic - Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic - Robert Eggers, The Witch
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic - Tim Talbott, The Stanford Prison Experiment
U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Collaborative Vision - Advantageous
U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Excellence in Editing - Lee Haugen, Dope
U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Excellence in Cinematography - Brandon Trost, The Diary of a Teenage Girl
U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary - The Wolfpack
Directing Award: U.S. Documentary - Matthew Heineman, Cartel Land
U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Cinematography - Matthew Heineman, Cartel Land
U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Break Out First Feature - Lyric R. Cabral, David Felix Sutcliffe, (T)ERROR
U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Verite Filmmaking - Bill Ross, Turner Ross, Western
U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Social Impact - Marc Silver, 3½ MINUTES
Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize - The Stanford Prison Experiment
World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary - The Russian Woodpecker
Directing Award: World Cinema Documentary - Kim Longinotto, Dreamcatcher
World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Editing - Jim Scott, How To Change The World
World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Impact - Pervert Park
World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Unparalleled Access - Pervert Park
World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic - Slow West
Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic - Alante Kavaite, The Summer of Sangaile
World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting - Regina Case and Camila Merdila, The Second Mother
World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting - Jack Reynor, Glassland
World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Cinematography - Germain McMicking, Partisan
Audience Award: NEXT, Presented by Adobe - James White
Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary - Dark Horse
Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic - Umrika
Audience Award: U.S. Documentary, Presented by Acura - Meru
Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic, Presented by Acura - Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Short Film Grand Jury Prize - World of Tomorrow
Short Film Jury Award: US Fiction - SMILF
Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction - Oh Lucy!
Short Film Jury Award: Non-fiction - The Face of Ukraine: Casting Oksana Baiul
Short Film Jury Award: Animation - Storm hits jacket
Short Film Special Jury Award for Acting - Back Alley
Short Film Special Jury Award for Visual Poetry - Object

As obsessive readers and fans of dismissing quality movies as inferior to their literary counterparts, it's important for us to know which books will head to the big screen ahead of time. How else will we know how Wild Reese will be, or what is going to happen to Peeta? Be reasonable. We've decided to use our research for the good of society and share the adaptations coming soon that we are most excited for.
1. The Spook's Apprentice - Joseph Delaney (Seventh Son)
Thomas Ward (Ben Barnes) is the seventh son of the seventh son, which gives him the ability to see things that others cannot: ghosts, ghasts, boggarts, and the like. He becomes an apprentice to John Gregory, the Spook (Jeff Bridges). Julianne Moore is set to play Mother Malkin, one of the most sinister witches who uses blood magic, luring young runaway women into care before sucking their blood to maintain her youth, who was then imprisoned by the Spook. Kit Harington and Djimon Hounsou also star.
2. Fifty Shades of Grey - E.L. James
Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, in case you somehow didn't know, are stepping into the roles of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey for the adaptation of the incredibly successful erotic novel. Steele, a literature student, interviews Grey as a favor to her roommate, but quickly becomes entranced by this brilliant and handsome man who is unable to resist her. He admits his desire, but on his own terms; this is a man with a need to control everything. This is also probably going to be the movie with a bunch of heavy-breathing sweaty middle-aged women trying to control themselves in the theater. You've been warned.
3. In the Heart of the Sea - Nathaniel Philbrick
The last time Ron Howard and Chris Hemsworth teamed up, they brought us one of the best films of 2013, Rush. Now, they're at it again (along with Cillian Murphy and Benjamin Walker) with this story of a whaleship attacked by one angry whale, leaving the crew shipwrecked and stranded for 90 days, thousands of miles from land. The true story inspired a little book by Herman Melville (played in the movie by our favorite, Ben Whishaw) entitled Moby-Dick.
4. The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith (Carol)
W. W. Norton &amp; Company
Patricia Highsmith, author of successful novels-turned-movies like Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley (we're choosing to ignore the recent The Two Faces of January here), wrote The Price of Salt, which will be released as 'Carol.' The novel itself, controversial for its lesbian content and unprecedented gay happy ending, is said to have inspired Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita. The film stars Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, and Sarah Paulson, with Far From Heaven and I'm Not There director Todd Haynes helming.
5. Dark Places - Gillian Flynn
Shaye Areheart Books
Gone Girl author brings us yet another chilling thriller. A young girl is the sole survivor of a massacre that leaves both of her sisters and her mother dead in an apparent Satanic cult ritual. She testifies against her brother, but 25 years later, she begins to investigate the actual events. Charlize Theron, Chloë Grace Moretz, Nicholas Hoult, and Christina Hendricks star.
6. A Walk in the Woods - Bill Bryson
HarperCollins Publishers
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants director Ken Kwapis is set to direct Bryson's memoir, starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte. The hilarious book describes Bryson's attempt to walk the Appalachian Trail with his friend Stephen Katz. Emma Thompson and Parks and Recreation's Nick Offerman will also star.
7. Insurgent - Veronica Roth
As conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows, a war looms for Divergent's post-apocalyptic Chicago. In this sequel, we're still following Shailene Woodley and Theo James' Tris and Four as they try to understand the reasons for Erudite's insurrection and obtain information the Abnegation are trying to protect. Kate Winslet, Zoë Kravitz, Ansel Elgort, and Miles Teller return in their supporting roles, and are joined by some all-star names: Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer, and Suki Waterhouse.
8. Serena - Ron Rash
The dynamic duo of mega-nominated movies Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle are back at it! Bradley Cooper plays a man trying to maintain his timber empire during the Depression, while Jennifer Lawrence plays his wife who discovers she can't have children. For some reason, we're a little terrified of JLaw in this movie from the trailer.
9. Silence - Shusako Endo
Taplinger Publishing Company
This 1966 novel about a Jesuit missionary sent to 17th century Japan where he endures persecution is set to be adapted by Martin Scorsese. It will also have an all star cast of Andrew Garfield, Liam Neeson, Ken Watanabe, and Adam Driver.
10. The Longest Ride - Nicholas Sparks
The producers of The Fault in Our Stars, the author of The Notebook, and the hottest Hollywood son around, this movie already has us in love with it. Scott Eastwood and Britt Robertson play two lovers and there's a rodeo or something; we don't really know, we were just thinking about how much this movie will make us cry. Time to read the book.
11. Far From the Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
The Hunt director Thomas Vinterberg tackles Thomas Hardy's novel. Carey Mulligan stars as Bathsheba Everdene, a woman who has too many men in love with her and of course rejects them all until she falls for one. Three men, played by Michael Sheen, Matthias Schoenaerts (Rust and Bone), and Tom Sturridge (On The Road), all after this woman: who will she end up with? We actually just read the plot description and had everything spoiled and somehow still gasped and cried at those three paragraphs. Why didn't we know about this book before?!
12. Paper Towns - John Green
Dutton Books
The Fault in Our Stars author John Green's next book to be adapted by the same team who adapted TFIOS (Scott Neustadter &amp; Michael H. Weber). Margo and her adventures are legendary at her high school, and Quentin ("Q") has always loved her for it. Margo climbs through his window and demands he take an all night road trip of revenge, but when she goes missing the next day, Q realizes she's left clues for him and promptly hits the road again in search of her. Cara Delevingne will play Margo and TFIOS' Nat Wolff will play Q.
13. The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge - Michael Punke
Carroll &amp; Graf Publishers
Academy Award-nominated Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman, 21 Grams, Biutiful) is set to direct Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy in this adaptation. Partially based on the life of fur trapper Hugh Glass. Leo will play Glass, who is mauled by a bear, then later robbed and left for dead by his companions. He survives and sets out for revenge against those same men.
14. The Secret Scripture - Sebastian Barry
Faber and Faber
A one-hundred-year-old woman, Roseanne McNulty, in a mental hospital for about 50 years decides to retrace her history. As the hospital faces demolition and he must choose which of his patients should be transferred and which should rejoin the community, Dr. Grene also tries to discover her history. What they find is very different, though there are some consistencies. Vanessa Redgrave and Rooney Mara will play Roseanne McNulty, Eric Bana will play Grene, with Theo James also starring.
15. Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Penguin Classics
An oft-adapted novel, Mary Shelley's classic is to be turned into yet another film, this time directed by Paul McGuigan (Lucky Number Slevin, Push). The updated version, titled Victor Frankenstein, will be told from the perspective of the doctor's assistant, Igor. The film will explain how the doctor became the man who created the legendary monster. Daniel Radcliffe will play Igor and James McAvoy will play Victor Frankenstein.
16. The Martian - Andy Weir
Crown Publishing Group
Described as Cast Away meets Apollo 13, the novel follows an astronaut stranded on Mars, fighting to survive (which also sounds mildly like Gravity to us, no?). Ridley Scott is set to direct a pretty stellar (no pun intended) cast here: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels, Kristen Wiig, Donald Glover, Kate Mara, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. This sounds like a great movie already, but we'll have to wait until November to see it.
17. The Jungle Book - Rudyard Kipling
Macmillan Publishers
Walt Disney Pictures is working on this live-action/CGI mash-up of the classic book, directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Chef), with a mind-bogglingly incredible cast. Bill Murray, Idris Elba, Ben Kingsley, Christopher Walken, Scarlett Johansson, Lupita Nyong'o, and Breaking Bad's Giancarlo Esposito will provide voices, while newcomer Neel Sethi will play Mowgli.

Maybe it's because we've been struggling to find one man to love us, let alone two, or maybe it's because it reduces pretty awesome female characters to a girl who can't decide which boy she loves, but we've grown a pretty tired of the love triangle trope saturating so many TV shows and movies. It seems like vampires are only ever happy if they're competing for a girl (and, of course, they simply must be vampires). Are there really no other ways to complicate a love story?
1. Sookie/Eric/Bill (True Blood)
HBO
Sookie, waitress (who spends shockingly little time actually waiting tables) and faerie, loves vampire Bill Compton. She is "his," which is some pseudo-romantic vampire way of possessing a woman like an object, and along comes douchey bad-haired vampire Eric. She hates Eric at first, but then he cuts his hair and gets amnesia, forgetting he's actually a jerk, and they fall in love. And then the two vampires compete over her for, like, ever. After this whole love triangle (a square, if you consider her relationship with werewolf Alcide) ordeal fades, she ends the series with a rando who we don't meet. Umm, cool? At least we had some steamy moments of threesome fantasies.
2. Olivia/Jake/Fitz (Scandal)
ABC
Is anyone into Olivia and Fitz anymore? We're not really sure there would be a show without this love triangle though, because Pope &amp; Prez need to be lovers torn apart, and, what with the First Lady generally approving of their relationship (and engaging in extramarital affairs of her own), something needs to keep them apart. Enter Jake, secret agent man. We like Olivia Pope best when she's wearing Burberry trenches and "handling" situations like nobody else can. We tolerate her love life (although we do cherish the non-booty calls and her standing up for herself).
3. Jack/Kate/Sawyer (Lost)
ABC
We're not sure if we'll ever fully understand what happened on Lost, but we do know that the episodes weren't nearly as entertaining when they focused on this love triangle. Wasn't there enough going on here without this overplayed scenario?
4. Bella/Jacob/Edward (The Twilight Saga)
Summit Entertainment
As much as we tried to bury our head in the sand and avoid this book/film series, the cursed Team Edward/Team Jacob drama found a way to perpetually enter our lives. Its ubiquity alone is enough to grow tired of. As far as we're concerned, if we didn't like the vampire-werewolf-human triangle on True Blood (okay, Sookie isn't human, but you get it), we're certainly not going to enjoy one where the vampire sparkles.
5. Rory/Dean/Jess (Gilmore Girls)
The WB
This is the love triangle we understand the most of all of these. No, not just because both Dean and Jess are irresistible and pretty unconditional in their affection for the perfect Rory Gilmore, but because Dean was sort of the first boy she had ever noticed. She started dating him, things were going smoothly, and then Jess came along. Understandably, when a bad boy who loves reading comes along, swooning is inevitable. Dean was a good first boyfriend, a bit too needy for our taste, and Jess made a huge mistake by, you know, leaving town while still dating Rory and not even saying anything, but we understood where she was coming from, at least. That still didn't make it enjoyable to watch Dean peacock and proclaim Stars Hollow as "his town."
6. Jack/Elizabeth/Will (Pirates of the Caribbean)
Walt Disney Pictures
Come on, Elizabeth! You can't just throw away your relationship every time Johnny Depp looks damn cute in a costume. You will never have a healthy love life that way.
7. Meredith/Derek/Addison (Grey's Anatomy)
ABC
It's always a grey area when a TV show makes you ship a relationship between a married man and his mistress, and that's exactly what happened here. We liked Derek and Meredith with the complications they already faced - a one night stand that turned into the pair working at the same hospital (and the accusations that she was sleeping her way to the top). When Addison came back into the picture, it just annoyingly kept apart two characters we knew should be together.
8. Serena/Nate/Dan (Gossip Girl)
The CW
The relationships on Gossip Girl mostly played like a square dance's exchange of partners, and we never liked Nate and Serena together (even though, goodness gracious, they were a gorgeous-looking couple) because he was her BFF's boyfriend. What happened to girl code, S? (To be fair, Blair then went for Lonely Boy despite his former relationship with Serena). Eventually, this show's only relationship we rooted for was strangely Chuck and Blair.
9. Katniss/Peeta/Gale (The Hunger Games)
Lionsgate via Everett Collection
This one never seemed like much of a love triangle to us. As we read the book, and even in the first movie, we sort of felt like, "Gale who?" It was always Peeta. Katniss and Gale's relationship was strictly platonic, despite Hemsworth's hunkiness. His attractiveness is all he has going for him, and it's squandered by his jealousy. Peeta, on the other hand, is cute, caring, maybe a little needy, but we dig it. The real attraction to the movies/books lies in the revolution though (which is greatly motivated by Katniss' desire to rescue Peeta, further proof of his superiority).
10. Buffy/Angel/Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
The WB
Seriously, what is it about vampire relationships that leads to love triangles? This is a little ridiculous. Buffy and Angel are perfect beyond words, a modern supernatural Romeo and Juliet plagued not by sparring families, but by an ancient curse, and Spike had vampire impotence and made a Buffy-bot. Really? We liked Buffy and Spike's banter, but the romance between the two always felt a bit wrong to us (and even Spike didn't believe her when she said she loved him).
11. Ross/Rachel/Joey (Friends)
NBC
Why. Did. This. Happen. Ross and Rachel, the annoyingly on-again, off-again, "we-were-on-a-break" couple everyone shipped throughout the 90s, were each other's lobsters. Joey, the show's resident Casanova, suddenly falls in love with her, even though she has Ross' baby? Whose decision was that?

So you might have heard: there was a One Tree Hill reunion this weekend. In Paris. The gang got back together for an OTH convention hosted by Guest Events called, "From Wilmington To Paris 2." Should have been from Tree Hill to Paris, but we guess it's cool since it gave us the best pictures to ever grace our Instagrams.
Our favorite Tree Hill girls finally got back together again and gave us OTH fans photographic evidence:
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Basically the best.
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B. Davis also reunited with her favorite Scott boys:
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My two favorite Scotts. #PJRaven @ThisIsJamesLafferty #HomiesForLife #OTHfam
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Ouch. Is that a burn to Lucas/Chad I see Sophia Bush? Probs not, because she's amazing. And the sweetest girl ever. Plus, we think everyone secretly loved Dan so much because he was the funniest character to hate. And he's hot.
But guys, Sophia was not the only person blowing up our Instagram newsfeed. Haley (Bethany Joy Lenz) was a selfie fiend this weekend.
There was a Naley moment. I repeat, A NALEY MOMENT HAPPENED:
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This handsome buggar... #paris @thisisjameslafferty
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Even a OTH family selfie:
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@ptothejohan @robertearlbuckley @therealshantel @joylenz #hilarieburton #paris
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Everyone seemed to love Dan Scott (Paul Johannson) this weekend:
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Champagne et une promenade avec un de mes amis les plus chers. How blessed I am to share these new memories with people I have known and loved for many years. Thank you #paris
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The James sisters were at it once again:
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Mr &amp; Mrs Paris... Hottest new couple in town! @joylenz #loveyasis #Paris #OTH
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Clay (Robert Buckley)and Quinn (Shantel VanSanten) made snow angels together and they didn't come out well, but it was perfect:
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Clearly, our snow angel game needs a lot of work. @therealshantel #FWTP2
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Even Nanny Carrie was able to tone down the crazy and make it to this reunion:
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Wow! Altogether again! Hillary joy James Antoine Torrey
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As expected, OTH fans freaked the hell out over this reunion:
This one tree hill gathering is really giving me the feels
— SHA (@ShainaWottitz) October 18, 2014
the fact that there's still one tree hill conventions going on after the show finishing years ago makes me emotional
— (@regalduckling) October 18, 2014
American fans were so sad they couldn't be there:
There's a One Tree Hill convention on in Paris and I'm so devastated I'm not there!
— AlouderLOVEGA (@EmilyyBennettt) October 19, 2014
People let this reunion make them wish (dream) for more:
I had a dream one tree hill was having a reunion season
— erudite (@amanduuurz) October 19, 2014
There were people ready to get on an airplane and fly right to Paris:
Where am I? Not at the #FWTP2 for the One Tree Hill convention. Where I want to be? #FWTP2.
— hale (@brookedaviz) October 18, 2014
People weren't even that mad that Chad had to cancel on the event:
Chad canceled but silver lining: free posters all around for us! Merci @GuestsEvents #FWTP2 pic.twitter.com/Ee0GWLRJZu
— Laura Van Staen (@LauraBlake__) October 19, 2014
Because Sophia is perfect and adorable with fans, as usual:
@sophiabush Thank you for the photo, I'm glad to met you for the first time. I love you so much #FWTP2 pic.twitter.com/LTbAyjVsVC
— I MET SOPHIA BUSH. (@badassbush) October 19, 2014
And the Clinn feels were so strong and perfect:
Shantel and Rob being super cute at their panel #fwtp2 pic.twitter.com/4Fh4piYFzK
— (@xRememberOTH) October 19, 2014
Shantel: "I'd pick Robert any day. He's my best friend!" AND THEN SHE HUGGED HIM. #FWTP2 #Clinn
— Laura Van Staen (@LauraBlake__) October 19, 2014
It was an amazing reunion and we all wish we were there. Excuse us while we go watch One Tree Hill for the rest of our Sunday. And week. We hope you do too.
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We opened 2014 with heated anticipation for the next great turns from Wes Anderson, Richard Linklater, Christopher Nolan, Lars von Trier, and a number of other cinematic vets. But the year has also treated us to a hefty sum of noteworthy first timers. We've caught a wide variety of debut attempts over the course of these past eight months, with enough qualitative range to incite reactions from "The next Hitchcock!" to "I might be able to get you a gig with my friend who does wedding videos, but don't tell him you know me." Here's a quick rundown of the debut flicks we've seen so far in '14, from great to terrible.
THE GREAT
Tribeca Film via Everett Collection
Palo AltoDirector: Gia CoppolaWhy we're already on her bandwagon: In the vein of her aunt Sofia, the young Gia Coppola showcases an indubitable understanding of upper class ennui.
Hide Your Smiling Faces Director: Daniel Patrick CarboneWhy we're already on his bandwagon: Carbone's primarily wordless coming-of-age drama shows off his patience and pensiveness, not to mention his ability to skirt the self-importance than many films of Smiling Faces' ilk seem to bear.
Obvious ChildDirector: Gillian RobespierreWhy we're already on her bandwagon: It's funny as hell even within the margins of genre tradition, and sweet without succumbing to Hollywood sugar.
THE VERY GOOD
Zeitgeist Films
Zero MotivationDirector: Talya LavieShows promise of: A knack for absurdist humor and grounded character relationships alike.
It Felt Like LoveDirector: Eliza HittmanShows promise of: A uniquely keen empathy for how young people conduct themselves, both internally and among one another.
THE GOOD
Tribeca Film via Everett Collection
The Bachelor Weekend/The StagDirector: John ButlerShows potential in: A good sense of humor, especially when it veers closer to Apatow than McKay.
Are You HereDirector: Matthew WeinerShows potential in: Social commentary through character construction, but Weiner needs a better handle on cinematic pacing.
The One I LoveDirector: Charlie McDowellShows potential in: Big ideas, and the presentation thereof, but lacks in the ultimate execution of where they can and ought to go.
THE SO-SO
Drafthouse Films via Everett Collection
Beneath the Harvest SkyDirector: Aron Gaudet and Gita PullapillyThere's room for improvement regarding: A sharper attention to the characters and story, which occasionally fade out of focus at the behest of a vivid North Maine setting.
LullabyDirector: Andrew LevitasThere's room for improvement regarding The acerbic but knowing humor shared by the central family members, in favor of the intense melodrama that the film feels impelled to stuff itself with from time to time.
Cheap ThrillsDirector: E.L. KatzThere's room for improvement regarding: The energy set toward invoking a truly interesting story or course of events, rather than the allowance of the "weird" or "dangerous" to take the wheel altogether like it does here.
TammyDirector: Ben FalconeThere's room for improvement regarding: An authentic commitment to the sincerity in the characters, in place of wild and wacky antics like jetski crashes and deer mouth-to-mouth... though these were probably studio notes, we have to assume.
THE BAD
Music Box Films via Everett Collection
Winter’s TaleDirector: Akiva GoldsmanWhat we hope he gets right next time: A more defined storytelling goal. While some of the film's elements worked in a vaccuum, Goldsman had been gestating a Winter's Tale adaptation for years, coming out the gate with something that is oddly both convoluted and terribly narrow.
MaleficentDirector: Robert StrombergWhat we hope he gets right next time: More Angie.
A Coffee in Berlin/Oh BoyDirector: Jan Ole GersterWhat we hope he gets right next time: A better understanding of the fine line between cheeky and irritating.
Earth to EchoDirector: Dave GreenWhat we hope he gets right next time: Ditch the essentially pointless found footage antic and hone in on the fleeting spirit of the kids.
THE WORST
Vertical Entertainment
TranscendenceDirector: Wally PfisterWhy we're nervous for his future: Pfister is a skilled cinematographer, but his grasp of character, story, and ambiance seem dangerously absent.
Goodbye to All ThatDirector: Angus McLachlanWhy we're nervous for his future: Ambitions seem to fall shy of originality, settling instead on retreading the same indie dramedy territory we've seen time and time again, but without any discernible charisma.
If I StayDirector: R.J. CutlerWhy we're nervous for his future: A dastardly aesthetic, paper-thin characters, a devoted marriage to teen movie cliches, and a potentially dangerous mentality driving the story altogether do not bode well for Cutler's future behind the camera.
Behaving BadlyDirector: Tim GarrickWhy we're nervous for his future: Because he thought this horrible thing could work.
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Getty Images/Kevin Winter
Do you remember where you were when Batman V Superman was announced? When the first glimpse of Avatar was bestowed upon the world? Probably not, but for the Comic-Con faithful, these moments are gospel. San Diego Comic-Con has become the destination for any geek worth his salt, and a select few moments throughout the convention's history have become legendary to fans across the world. Here are the most memorable moments from Comic-Cons past.
The Batman V Superman announcementRight at the tail end of the 2013 Warner Bros. panel, a Jittery Zack Snyder turned up to announce that he was working on a sequel to Man of Steel. Then, with help from the booming voice of Harry Lennix and a choice excerpt from Frank Miller's classic Batman tale The Dark Knight Returns, Warner Bros. dropped a bomb on Hall H with the announcement of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (which was then untitled). When the logo blazed on screen with all its glory, SDCC 2013 had hit its definitive peak.
Michael Keaton earns the cowlEveryone remembers the ballyhoo made about Heath Ledger being cast as the Joker in 2008's The Dark Knight, but comic book fans had been complaining about casting long before then. All the way back at Comic-Con 1988, the fervor about the new Batman movie was high; many fans didn't think Michael Keaton could pull off the Caped Crusader. But most of these detractors quieted down when the original creator of Batman, Bob Kane himself, stopped by the Con and gave the actor and Tim Burton's production his blessing via a set visit. He also showed up with a ton of set photos and production designs to ensure fans that his creation was in good hands.
Twilight comes to Comic-ConFor nearly 40 years, Comic-Con had been a place for more male-focused geekery. But in 2008, the playing field was leveled when the Twilight saga was given a panel in the hallowed nerd pantheon that is Hall H. This of course brought droves of Twilight fans to the convention center, who of course butted heads with seasoned veterans of the Con who though the new visitors didn't belong. But Twilight's domination of that year's festivities were undeniable. The vamps were here to stay.
The Avatar preview screeningIf there's one thing to learn from Comic-Con, it's that you shouldn't always buy into the hype. Hyperbole flows through San Diego like a river, and people will champion anything and everything as a gamechanger. But the hype around the preview screening of Avatar at 2009's convention was so massive, it was hard not to believe. The preview of James Cameron's spectacle-laden adventure left many Con-goers slack-jawed with awe.
The Avengers assemble in Hall HJoss Whedon has long been a popular face at comic-con, but he might as well have been coronated as king when he brought every member of The Avengers on stage for the first time in 2010. It was a moment that Marvel studios had been steadily building up to for years, but seeing all of those heroes (albiet in street clothes) in one place at the same time was magical.
The Iron Man trailer premiereUnsuspecting fans at the first ever Iron Man panel were greeted with a surprise visit from Jon Favreau, and an even bigger surprise: the first look at a new trailer for Iron Man. The trailer was only a few seconds long, showing Iron Man shooting through the sky, but it was enough to send the hype for the upcoming film skyrocketing. It was surefire proof that Marvel was doing right by all these heroes.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World wows the crowdIn a rare treat, fans at the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World panel were treated to a screening of the film. Edgar Wright's dazzling comic book adaptation won heaps of praise from attendees, and Hollywood's relationship with the convention was riding high. Unfortunately, the studios soon found out the convention hype doesn't always equal ticket sales, and the film fizzled out of the box-office without recouping it's budget.
Karen Gillan goes baldMaybe it was just a really convincing wig, maybe we just couldn't wrap our heads around those deep red locks being fake, or maybe we just don't usually expect to see people ripping hair off of their heads at Comic-Con. But at the panel for Guardians of the Galaxy, after being confronted by host Chris Hardwick with accusations that her character in the upcoming space opera is bald in the comics, the actor unleashed her buzzed head to the world, and everyone lost their minds.
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James Franco's directorial debut on the New York stage has been savaged by critics. The Spider-Man star, who is currently starring in a Broadway production of Of Mice and Men, has also been working on an off-Broadway show during his time in New York.
Franco's staging of Robert Boswell's play The Long Shrift, starring his ex-girlfriend Ahna O'Reilly, opened at the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater on Sunday night (13Jul14) and received a number of scathing reviews from critics.
Variety's Marilyn Stasio calls the play "preposterous" and "phony" and takes aim at lead actor Scott Haze, accusing him of mimicking his director's acting style, writing, "Unfortunately, Franco isn't the star but the director of this play, and he's entrusted the lead to a thesp who hasn't a clue what to do - except imitate James Franco."
Frank Scheck of the New York Post gives the production one star out of five and writes, "Somehow, between doing eight shows a week of Of Mice and Men, teaching, making movies and flirting on Instagram, James Franco's found time to make his stage directorial debut. Judging from his work on The Long Shrift... there's a limit to his talents."
The New York Times' Alexis Soloski also had harsh words for Franco's work, calling the show "untidy, at times annoying, at times ridiculous," but added, "Mr. Franco achieves mixed success as a first-time Off Broadway director. The rhythms of the first scene are a mess, a section at the reunion too sensational... and many of the lines sound downright weird in the actors' mouths. Yet Mr. Franco elicits emotionally vivid performances from his cast."
Franco previously won mixed reviews for his Broadway acting debut in Of Mice and Men and chastised New York Times writer Ben Brantley with a foul-mouth rant for giving his performance a less-than flattering write-up.

Marvel Studios
"Dying is easy; comedy is hard."
It might have been a DC Comics character who revived these final words of 19th century thespian Edmund Kean, but it is Marvel that seems to be taking the maxim to heart, perhaps having at last stumbled upon the dark side of comedy direction. Since the latter half of its first phase of movies, Marvel Studios has prioritized a comic hue over intensity or grit, hiring unlikely folk like Joe Johnston, Shane Black, the Russo Brothers, and James Gunn (whose upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy looks like a riot) to turn what might have been adrenal actioners into wry character pieces. But the latest filmmaker to take up with the company is of a different breed. Still wading through the muck of a post-Edgar Wright production of Ant-Man, unable to find a director of note to take the reins from the manic brain behind the Cornetto Trilogy, Marvel has announced a partnership with horror director Scott Derrickson for its upcoming Doctor Strange feature. Variety reports that the man behind Sinister, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and sci-fi/thriller The Day the Earth Stood Still will handle the long gestating feature, a particular passion of super producer Kevin Feige.
Getty Images/Araya Diaz
It is interesting both that Derrickson arises as a stark contrast to the Marvel helmers of Phases 1 and 2 — genre subverters, sitcom folk, the Honey I Shrunk the Kids dude — as well as smack dab in the middle of the company's high profile Ant-Man mess. Having lost Wright over a disharmony in desired tone of the film, Marvel might only now be realizing just how ribald a comedic vision can be. The difficulty Marvel faces in replacing Wright — Adam McKay (director of various Will Ferrell movies) and Rawson Thurber (of Dodgeball and We're the Millers) have already turned down the prospect, per The Wrap — seems to be no unlikely contributor to its realization that the comedy game is a lot tougher than anticipated back in the inceptive Winter Soldier days.
Marvel Studios
So now we have Doctor Strange, a character that is far from exempt of the same brand of personality and farce that we saw in The Avengers, both Captain Americas, Thor 2, and (perhaps most of all) Iron Man 3. And we're worried. Not so much about Doctor Strange in particular — the property is steeped in supernatural elements worthy of a great horror director's touch (and Derrickson is, indeed, a great horror director) — but about the future of Marvel on the whole. The company has built such a strong, satisfying franchise thanks not simply to its devotion to its characters but principally to its devotion to joy, personality, humanity... all the inherent facets of comedy. A Marvel that is afraid to have fun — resultant of its dissolution with Edgar Wright (the "funnest" guy it has ever hired) and inability to find a director to peter down his wily voice — is not a Marvel of promise.
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CBS Broadcasting
CBS announced its fall television lineup today, and the network seems to be charting very familiar territory. While the other broadcast players scramble for the next big thing, CBS is firmly in cruise control. It would be easy to say that the the channel is just going through the motions, but the folks at CBS know what works and know their audience even better, which is why they're still the reigning champs of broadcast television. This year, the channel that brought you NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles, brings you their next surefire hit, NCIS: Somewhere Else, plus another half dozen police procedurals and two new comedies... one of which is actually a really old comedy. In these hardscrabble times, it may be difficult to decide which NCIS to watch, so we've rounded up all the new shows in CBS's 2014-2015 lineup.
Scorpion What It Is: Drama.What's It About: Eccentric genius and his team of misfits battle against high tech threats of the modern age, but the socially awkward group needs a translator of sorts, to help them communicate to the world around them.Who's In It: Elyes Gabel, Robert Patrick, Katharine McPhee.What It Sounds Like: The Big Bang Theory meets Criminal Minds. How Good Will It Be: It looks like This show looks like it might try to mine the same kinds of humor as The Big Bang Theory, which often nosedives into silly stereotyping of nerd culture without being actually funny or insightful. This one isn’t looking good at all. How Long Will It Last: CBS might be trying to find a bridge between the faux-geeky comedy in Big Bang and the litany of cop procedurals on the network. Perhaps the network’s audience will pick up on that. Airs: Mondays at 10 PM this fall.
NCIS: New Orleans What It Is: Police procedural.What's It About: The local field office investigates criminal cases involving military personnel. Who's In It: Scott Bakula, Lucas Black, Zoe McLellan.What It Sounds Like: It’s going to be NCIS, but everyones going to be talking about gumbo. How Good Will It Be: As good as an NCIS spin-off can be. Scott Bakula is great, but we doubt he's going to flourish in this.How Long Will It Last: Forever.Airs: Tuesdays at 9 PM this fall.
Stalker What It Is: Police procedural. What's It About: Det. Jack Larsen and his new boss, Lt. Beth Davis, investigate dangerous stalker incidents. Who's In It: Maggie Q, Dylan McDermott.What It Sounds Like: The inevitable Catfish episode of Law and Order: SVU. How Good Will It Be: CBS already has about 90 other cop shows, and this one isn’t doing much to stand out. There’s a new wrinkle (hey, we’re only going after stalkers in this on) but that’s no enough to separate it from the herd. How Long Will It Last: McDermott’s last show on CBS, Hostages, was a big misfire for the network. Plus, there are already so many procedurals clogging up the network’s schedule. We’re thinking some cop drama fatigue might be creeping in. Airs: Wednesday at 10 PM this fall.
Madame Secretary What It Is: Political drama.What's It About: Elizabeth Cord, the newly appointed Secretary of State, balances work and family life while trying to serve the President. Who's In It: Téa Leoni, Bebe Neuwirth, Geoffrey Arend, Patina Miller.What It Sounds Like: House of Cards without all the murder by train.How Good Will It Be: It looks a little staid compared to the wilder political action available from other dramas of its ilk. Still, maybe a slower drama depicting Washington is a move in the right direction.How Long Will It Last: House of Cards and Scandal has shown that political shows can survive and thrive on TV as long as they’re soapy and ridiculous. Madame Secretary looks a bit tamer than those two efforts so thrillseekers might not be interested. We’ll give it a season or two. Airs: Sundays at 8 PM this fall.
The McCarthys What It Is: Multi-camera sitcom. What's It About: The gay son of a brash Boston family wants to leave the city, but decides to stay when his outspoken and politically incorrect father gives him a position as an assistant coach on the local basketball team. Who's In It: Laurie Metcalf, Tyler Ritter, Jack McGee. What It Sounds Like: That one episode of All in the Family where meathead comes out to Archie. How Good Will It Be: We’re excited to see Laurie Metcalf return to TV, but the story itself doesn’t sound all that original or exciting. How Long Will It Last: Since Fox’s Dads failed to deliver ratings, it seems that we might be a bit tired of the whole "outspoken fathers annoying their sons thing" on TV. This one might not get a back nine. Airs: Thursdays at 9:30 PM this fall.
CSI: CyberWhat It Is: Police procedural.What's It About: Special Agent Avery Ryan is in charge of the Cyber Crime Division of the FBI, a team that solves crimes centered on the Internet.Who's In It: Patricia Arquette.What It Sounds Like: CSI meets the Internet.How Good Will It Be: It depends which The Who song they chose for the theme song. How Long Will It Last: Forever, or at least a handful of years.Airs: Midseason.
Battle Creek What It Is: Police procedural.What's It About: Two bickering detectives with polar opposite world views work together to clean up the mean streets of Battle Creek, Michigan. Who's In It: Josh Duhmel, Dean Winters.What It Sounds Like: A more straightforward version of True Detective How Good Will It Be: Dean Winters is always great, and television heavyweights Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad) and David Shore (House) are producing. This could be something special.How Long Will It Last: This series seems darker and grittier than the average CBS procedural, which might not click with regular viewers of CBS’ breezier cop dramas. We’ll be surprised if this gets a second year. Airs: Midseason.
The Odd Couple What It Is: Multi-camera sitcom. What's It About: Charming slob Oscar Madison and buttoned-up neat freak Felix Unger become unlikely roommates after the demise of their marriages. Who's In It: Matthew Perry, Thomas Lennon.What It Sounds Like: Well… The Odd Couple.How Good Will It Be: We can’t imagine what new spin this new show could put on the Odd Couple formula since every other sitcom is basically a pastiche of the Odd Couple anyway. Been there, done that. How Long Will It Last: Matthew Perry has been on a serious losing streak so he may be a bad omen for The Odd Couple. we'll give it a season.Airs: Midseason.
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Tribeca Film via Everett Collection
Palo Alto bleeds aimlessness in a lot of good ways. In the tradition of Dazed and Confused and The Last Picture Show, Gia Coppola's directorial debut lands us knee deep in the ennui of a self-contained society of small town teens, daring us to dive right into a neon cesspool vacant of hope or self-actualization. Keeping in step with the mentioned films, Palo Alto is far less interested in telling a story than it is in painting a picture. The spectacle that results is beautiful, piercing, and — quite definitely — Coppolian. But it hits some difficulty when it tries to move beyond its frame.
Adapted from the short stories of at-least-he's-always-interesting James Franco (who is featured in the movie as a sneakily lecherous soccer coach), Palo Alto tags us to the corroded souls of a gaggle of misguided high schoolers in suburban Central California. Emma Roberts is the ostensible lead; her April is a sullen young woman whose chief character trait is sympathetic disillusionment. Her paths cross here and there with Mr. B (Franco) and likewise wayfaring classmate Teddy (Jack Kilmer — son of Val, who has a brief part in the film as the space cadet stepfather to Roberts), who is lightyears away from appreciating the gravity in his drunk driving episode and subsequent community service.
Tribeca Film via Everett Collection
The highlight of the bunch is Teddy's pal Fred, a compulsively obnoxious clown who The Naked Brothers Band's Nat Wolff stuffs with palpable agony and confusion. Buried inside of him, April, Teddy, and the scattered secondary players who work to identify the core of the proper main character — Palo Alto itself — lives our story, never progressing in any direction thereon out. The film is a snapshot of the pangs, frustrations, misgivings, malfeasances, and so on of the kids, adults, and neighborhood in question. In this form, it glows.
But Palo Alto tries to drive its story forward, yanking April, Teddy, and Fred out from the stronghold of their communal desperation and throwing them into the beyond. It's this forward motion that brings our attention to the delicate seams of the film, its unpreparedness in handling the story as much more than a lasting glimpse. We feel the elements slipping away from Coppola as she attempts to set them on a motive course for the first time in the third act, and so we have a tough time staying adhered as we once were to the characters — the falter is doubled by the fact that this emancipation comes at the intended peak of their emotional journeys.
Although the film might leave off dabbling in undeveloped turns — feeling frayed, uneven, and incomplete (I suppose it's hard to insist that such qualities are inappropriate for the story at hand) — it spends the lion's share of its time in a remarkable establishment: a portrait as lifelike as it is dreamy and as funny as it is haunting. It might lose its balance when it grabs for agency, but it offers an image very much worthy of our eyes.
4/5
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